Vehicle body construction



March 1951 R. CADWALLADER 2,544,525

VEHICLE BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed June 2, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Wale/2" adn azzaier BY I ATTORN EYS.

March 6, 1951 R. CADWALLADER VEHICLE BODY CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2, 1945 March 1951 R. CADWALLADER VEHICLE BODY CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 2, 1945 INVENTOR ATTO R N EY5.

Patented Mar. 6, 1 951 VEHICLE BODY CONSTRUCTION r 7 Robert Cadwallader, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich. a

corporation of Delaware Application June 2, 1945, Serial No. 597,332

I This application relates to a vehicle body construction. More specifically it involves the joining of a vehicle body floor to vehicle sides and roof.

An object of the present invention is to pro- 2 Claims. (Cl. 296-28) vide an improved vehicle body construction in- 'mationof reinforcing means as partof the vehi -cle body.

- Other objects will appear from the disclosure. In'the drawing: Y Fig. 1 is a side view of parts of a vehicle body in position for assembly;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a vehicle floor;

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are sectional views taken on the lines 3--3, 44, and 5-5, respectively, Fig. 2; l I Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical-sectional view through the parts of a vehicle body just prior to assembly;

Fig. '7 is a similar sectional view just after assembly; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a portion of a vehicle body of modified form.

The reference character I0 designates a U- shaped assembly composed of a roof I l and sides I2, and the reference character I3, a floor.

As seen in Fig. 1, the U-shaped assembly I6 extends from what is to be the very. rear end'of the vehicle up to what will be the engine coinpartment.- There is tobe a separate hood, not shown, for the engine. There areopenings I 4 and I in the sides I2 for frontand rear doors, not shown. At the lower edges of the sides I2 are provided partial tubular members I6, which are of generally rectangular shape and have two parallel sides I1 and I8 extendin from a third side I9 and a partial fourth 20 extending from the side I'I. There are a flange 2| on the partial side 26 and a flange 22 on the side I8. Each tubular member I6 extends the entire length of the U-shaped assembl II, the fro nt end 'of the member'being bonded to portion 23 of the side I2, which portion is forward of-the front door opening l4. A door pillar 24 is joined at its lower end to the member I6 and at its upper end to the roof II. The rear end of the member I6 is bonded to -a section 25 forming a rear wheel well. This et s. ...ieward1v from-i116. r rti n of e 2 the side I2 to which it is joined, and so the rear end of the tubular member I6 is laterally displaced to'conform to the displacement of the sec-- tion 25.

The floor I3 at the mid part includes two sheets 26 joined as by soldering or welding, by a semicircular member 21, The sheets 26 have depend ing flanges 28 at their outer edges and depressed portions 29 adjacent the flanges 28. The semicircular member 21 and the sheets 26 constitute a wide mid part of the floor I3. This part of the floor is reinforced by a transverse beam 36 having reinforcing flanges 3| at the sides and ends, by which flanges it is joined as by soldering or welding to the sheets 26 and their depending flanges 28. The beam 36 is cut away at a central portion as indicated at 32 to cooperate with the semicircular memberin providing space for a drive shaft,not shown, adapted to extend from a transmission near the front of the vehicle body to a rear axle at the rear of the body. The floor sheets 26 are flat. At the rear the floor I3 is formed of a sheet 33 bowed upward at a forward central portion, as indicated at 34. The width of the sheet 33 is less than the combined width of the sheets 26 and the semi-circular member 21. The front edge of the sheet 33 passes beneath the rear edge of the sheets 26 and member 21 in overlapping relation with respect thereto, the forward central portion 34 of the sheet being pressed upwardly with a semi-circular shape extending 1ongitudinally to conform to the semi-circular member 21, as shown in Fig. 4. The portion of the sheet 33 passing beneath the sheets 26 and the semi-circular member 21 is depressed with respect to the remainder of the sheet '33 so as to maintain a level of continuity between the sheet 33 and the sheets 26. The sheet 33 has depending flanges 35 at its edges and adjacent depressed portions 36 corresponding to the flanges 29 and depressed portions 29 on the sheets 25. The forward part of, .the sheet 33 widens suddenly in curved sides so as to cause the flanges 35 and depressed portions at this part to be correspondingly curved. Reinforcing beams 31 of U-shape are secured to the under side of the portion ofthe sheet 33 beneath'sheets 26 and extend crosswise of the floor II from adjacent the semicircular member 2'lto the flanges 28. They are spaced apart at the member 21 to make room for a driveshaft or torque Itube. Reinforcin beam sections 38 of U-shape extend from the beams 3'! into the curved parts of the flanges 35 on the sheet 33, being secured byrivets 39 to the beam 31 and by soldering or welding to the sheet 33. Them s th she t. h a depending flange 40, as shown in Fig. 5. A U-shaped beam 4| extends transversely across the front end of the sheets 26, being secured thereto and being depressed at a central portion as indicated at 42 beneath the U-shaped member to provide space for the driveshaft. Forward of the sheets 26 is a supporting structure adapted to carry the engine, not shown, and to be connected to the front axle, not shown. This structure comprises a transverse beam 43 of box section and longitudinal beams 44 also of box section with rear portions widening out and joined to the beam 4| and the sheets 26.

The floor l3 and the assembly ll] comprising top H and sides l2 are separately formed and are then brought into the relative position shown in Figs. 1 and 6. Thereupon the floor and the assembly are moved toward one another until, as shown in Fig. '7, the flanges 2! and 22 on the partial tubular members It engage the depressions 29- and flanges 28 on the floor l3. The flanges 2| and 22 and the depressions 29 and flanges 28 are welded to on another, and as a, result, longitudinally extending hollow box-like beams are formed at the edges of the floor reinforcing the body. Similarl the flanges 2i and 22 engage and are joined tov the depressions 35 and the flanges 35 of the floor sheet 33 at the rear of the body. I In the modification of Fig. 8 a U-shaped channel member 35 is secured by soldering or welding toa floor sheet 48 in such a way as to be partially beneath the edge ofthe sheet and to extend 'therebeyond. A U-shaped channel element 41 is secured in overlapping relation by soldering or welding to the U-shapedmember 45 so as to form therewith a reinforcing longitudinal box-likebeam at the edge of the floor. The U- shaped element 41 is engaged by an open hollow angle member 48 of partially tubular rectangular shape, which has two adjacent legs 49 and with a groove 5| at their juncture and two par tial legs 52 and 53 having flanges 54 and 55.-

The flange 55 is welded or soldered to aleg of the U-shaped element 41, and the flange 54 is bolted to the base of the U-shaped element 41 a indicated at 53. As in the case of the construction of Figs. 1, 6,- and 7, the modified form shown in Fig. 8' is employed at both sides of the vehicle and runs the length of the vehicle body to the extent that the tubular member I6 does. The open hollow member 48 are part of the U- shaped assembly 10, which also includes the top H and the sides l2. The manner of assembly may be as shown in Fig. 6; i. e., the assembly with the open hollow members 48 is brought toward the floor 4-6 with the U-shaped channels 45 and 4! attached. until the flange-s 54 and 55' of the open hollow member 18' contact the U-shaped channels 41; Thereuponlthe' contacting parts are joined in the manner indicated.

'1 claim: 1 A- vehic'le body construction comprising a floor sheet, U-shaped members one at each side of the floor sheet, each member being positioned partially beneath an edge of the floor sheet and partially beyond the edge and facing outwardly of the floor with one leg engaging the sheet and one leg spaced from and" below the floor sheet, @D air of U-shaped elements having legs engag-- ing the legs of the U-shaped member in the regi'on beyond said edges inoverlapping relation so as to form hollow beams at said edges of the floor' sheet, means joining the U-shaped elements tat-the" U-shapedmembers, a structure shaped as a U having a base forming the vehicle-body top, legs forming the vehicle-body sides, and open hollow members secured to and extending along the ends of the legs, each hollow member having one edge adapted to lie along a said hollow beam adjacent the base of the U -shaped element thereof, and a stop-providing edge overlapping the hollow beam such as to engage the upper surface thereof along a leg of the U-shaped element. thereby providing for the said one edge and U- shaped element base to be verticall located respecting one another upon establishment of correlated positions as between the hollow member and hollow beam, means securing said one edge of each hollow member to the base of the U- shaped element, and means securing the stopproviding edge of each hollow-member to the said leg of the 'U-shaped element, the U-shaped elements and the hollow members formin tubular beams reinforcing the vehicle-body construction.

2. A vehicle-body construction comprisinga floor, U-shaped members one at each side of the floor sheet, each member being securedto and positioned partially beneath an edge of the floor and partially beyond the edge and facing ou wardly of the floor with one leg engaging the floor and one leg spaced from and below tne floor, a pair of U-shaped elements having legs secured to the legs of the U-shaped members so as to form hollow beams at the edges of the floor, a structure shaped as a U having a base forming the vehicle-body top, legs forming thevehicle body sides, and angle members at the ends of the legs adapted to lie along the hollow beams in a manner such as to have certain edges adjacent the bases of the U-shaped elements and stopforming edges engagingly overlapping the upper surface of the hollow beams provided b the upper legs of U-shaped. elements, engagement of the latter edges with. the upper surface of the hollow beams thereby serving to pre-establish the vertical location of the said certain edges relative to the U-shaped element upon assumption by the angle members of a correlated posi tion respecting the hollow beams, and means securing the angle members to the upper legs and bases of the U-shaped elements, the U'-shaped elements and the angle members forming tubular beams reinforcing the vehicle-body construction.

ROBERT GADWALLADER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in" the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,541,803 Evans -1 June 16, 1925 2 ,012,057 Swallow Aug. 26', 1935 2,072,044 Widman et a1. Feb. 23, 193'? 2,102,402 Zeder Dec. 14, 193"? 2,119,193 Avery May 31, 1938 2,173,525 Wallace Sept. 19, 1939 2,188,267 Ledwinka' et a1 Jan. 23, 1940 2,234,781 Schjolin Mar. 11, 1941 2,242,269 Siebler May 10, I941 2,271,3 0- Schafer Jan. 27', 19'4'2' 2,289,395 Ulrich 1 any 14, 942 2,289,470 Vincent July 14, 1942 2,362,077 Ledwinka et a1 Nov. 7', 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country nae Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,544,525 March 6, 1951 ROBERT CADWALLADER It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 3, line 71, for the Word member read members;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of May, A. D. 1951.

[SEAL] THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

